Vet DNA Lab Popular Way for Landlords to Tag Dog Waste Violations

BioPet Vet Lab, a DNA laboratory based in Tennessee, has become popular with property managers and landlords around the country.

That’s because BioPet has introduced PooPrints”, a program designed to encourage dog owners to pick up their dogs droppings.” The program provides property managers and landlords with the science to prove which dog has been violating the pet policies so the owner can be held accountable.

Participating dogs are DNA-typed prior to leasing, and the DNA file placed in Bio-Pets “DNA World Pet Registry.” The initial DNA samples are obtained through cheek swabs.

Once the DNA is on file, any droppings found in the wrong places can be sent to BioPet to be analyzed and matched up with the DNA already on file. Once the dog is identified, an email report is sent to the landlord, which will identify the offending owner. The matching process takes three to four days.

Minnesota property management firm JJS Property Management advertises rental properties that are pet-friendly. JJS told their local news that they have implemented the Poo Prints program because some dog owners were not cleaning up after their pets — a violation of the pet policy.

The firm reports a decline in complaints of abandoned dog poop after requiring the DNA profiling and following up by testing the offending waste.

JJS has about 120 tenants signed up with the program, according to the report. JJS outlines the program in the lease agreement.

Property managers around the country have been reporting good results with the program. Once tenants realize they will be held accountable for their pets, they step up. Other tenants also are responding favorably because they are no longer stepping in someone else’s dog poop.

There are additional benefits for participating in the Poo Prints program. Dog owners will have their dog’s DNA on permanent file, providing positive “proof of ownership”; they receive a lifetime membership in the “DNA World Pet Registry, which allows them a place to store and manage their dogs health and care records; they receive an ID Tag printed with DNA Pet ID and a toll free number that will help to reunite a lost dog with its owner.

According to BioPet, there are 75 million dogs in the US and it is estimated that they produce 3.6 billion pounds of dog waste per year. That is equivalent to filling 800 football fields one foot high. Dog waste presents a number of health hazards, including campylobacter, salmonella, toxocaria, and other harmful microbes. These germs can be picked up by children and adults causing diarrhea, fever, muscle aches, headache, vomiting, rash, cough, and even vision loss. Moreover, these germs make their way into the water supply, endangering natural fisheries and waterways, and providing a secondary exposure of humans to these health dangers.

BioPets is well-known in the industry for providing DNA Breed ID tests for the analysis of dog breed ancestry.

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